Shed-forming mechanism for looms.



I PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903. 0. F. ROPB'R. SHED FORMING MECHANISMFOR-LOOMS.

APPLIOATIOK rnnn', 1'23. 24. 190a.

' a sums-sum 1 N0 MODEL.

==EEE PATENTED AUG."25, 1903. c; F. ROPER. SHED FORMING MECHANISM FORLOOMS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 24. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.v

n.. WASHINGTON, 04 c4 1 like parts.

' Umrmv STATES Patented August 25 190%.

PATENT OFFICE.

cuARLES F. ROPER, or HOPEDALE, MASSAOHUSETT ssieuon To Du ant COMPANY,or HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION-0F MAINE.

SHED FORMIN'G MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 737,148, dated August25, 1903.

l Application filed February 24, 1903. Serial No. 144,613. (No model.)

the accompanying drawings,is a specification,

like characters on the drawings representing This invention has for itsobject the produc-- tion of novel, simple, and positively-actingshed-forming inechanismfor looms, the various parts being easy to get atand adjust.

l With the constructionand arrangement to be described hereinafter theuse of strapping or other flexible connections is done away with and thelower part of the loom-frame is left open and unobstructed.

The various novel features of construction will be described in thesubjoined specifica tion and particularly pointed out in the followingclaims.

Figure 1 is a partial front elevation cen- 2 5 trally broken out ofa'loom with one embodiment of my invention applied thereto. 7 Fig. 2 isa right-hand side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and Fig.3is avertical sectional detail on the line 3 3, Fig. 1, looking 3otoward the left.

As will more fully appear hereinafter, my present invention isapplicable to what is tech nically known as a "twoharness motion,

one harness being raised when the other is 3 5 lowered, and vice versa.

The loom-frame A crank-shaft C, and camshaft O may be substantially ofwell-known construction, the loom sides having rigidly secured theretoupturned stands A, which take c the place of the usual arch in thepresent embodiment of my invention. An elongated sleeve-like andhorizontal bearing B is adj ustably secured to each stand A, eachbearing having secured to orformi'ng part of it a de- 5 pending foot I),bifurcated at its lower end at b and longitudinally slotted at b toreceive the shank of a stud-bolt a, extending forward from the stand, anut a on the bolt clamping the bearing in vertically-adjusted position.Each stand is provided with a forwardly-projecting threaded card whichenters the bifurcation Z) of the bearing-foot, and an liprightadjusting-bolt a is mounted in the ear and bears against the foot, asclearly Shown in Fig. 1. By loosening the clamping-nuts a the bearingsB, either or both, can-be vertically adjusted by the adjusting-bolts aand brought into proper alinement, as well as raised or lowered to alimited extent; A rockshaft F is mounted in the bearings completelyabove the harness-frames to be described, one

end of the shaft projecting beyond the bearing (see Fig. 1) and havingfast upon it a segment-gear F in mesh with a rack F on 'the upper end ofa follower-bar F herein shown as located outside the loom side.Longitudinal ribs f at the sides of therack project over the sides ofthe gear, and thereby prevent lateral displacement of the rack. v endof' the follower bar is longitudinally The lower slotted at f to looselyreceive the cam-shaft O between its bearing-box A, Fig. 1, and aharness-actuating cam C,fast upon the shaft, follower-rolls f and fonthe bar F cooperating with theperiphery of the cam above and below itscenter, rotation ofthe cam re= ciprocatin g the bar and through the rackand gear rocking the shaft F. The cam is so shaped that the harnessmemberswill'have the requisite dwell in their upper and lower positionsto retain the shed open for the pas sage of the shuttle therethrough. Arearward extensionb on the right-hand bearing B, Fig.

2, near the rack F has adj ustably mounted upon it a back-guard I), overwhich the back of the-rack slides, the guard preventing separation ofthe rackand'gear. The lower end of the follower-bar is pivotallyconnected at 5 with one end of a'radius-armB, fulcrumed at its other endon astud 6. on the loom side, 0 the radius-arm preventing the sides ofthe 'slot from rubbing over the cam-shaftwhen inclined extensions m,terminating in enlarged and thickened feet m laterally ex tended at m toslidably enter vertical guideways g in side guides Gr, rigidly securedto the inner sides of the stands A, the guides G facing each other.Notches m Fig. 3, are made in the front and back faces of the feet on?to receive transverse harness-bars of, two for each frame being shown,said bars being rigidly secured to the feet by bolts 8. Upon each bar ofis strung a series of thin fiat steel heddles 7b, which also serve aswarp-stopmotion-controlling detectors, so that each harness-frame isherein shown as provided with two banks of heddles. The racks m extendabove the shaft F and face rearward and mesh with pinion-teeth fthereon, a rack-guide b on each bearing B extending around the outerface of the rack and preventing its withdrawal from the pinion-teeth.The pinion-teeth f extend around one half of the periphery of the disk fon which they are formed, two such disks being secured to the shaft, andon the other half of the periphery are teeth f but having a greaterradius than the teeth f (see Fig. 3) for a purpose to be described. Thepinion-hubs are secured to the shaft by set-screws 10, Fig. 1, and theyprevent longitudinal movement of the shaft, the outer faces of the disksf being adjacent the inner ends of the bearings I The side bars orextensions m and their connected heddlebars m constitute the frontharness-frame,

and manifestly it will be moved up and down by rocking of the shaft Fthrough the pinion l teeth f and meshing racks m the flanges m,

which overhang the sides of the disks f preventing lateral displacementof the racks. The back harness-frame is practically a counterpart of thefront harness-frame, except that its racks n face the front, are behindthe shaft F, and mesh with the pinion-teethf of larger radius, while thedownward extensions n incline forward and terminate in feet 71 to whichthe heddle-bars n are secured by bolts 12. The feet have lateralextensions M, which slide in upright guideways g in the guides G, saidguideways being behind and parallel to the guideways g. Detector-heddlesh are hung upon the bars a, as shown in Fig. 1, and back guides b on thebearings B extend around behind the racks and hold them up to thepinion-teeth f. The racks have side flanges n to cooperate with thesides of the disks f and prevent lateral displacement of the racks.\Vhen the shaft F is rocked, the front harness-frame will be raised andthe back harness-frame lowered, and vice versa, a single cam C effectingthe movement of both frames. Inasmuch as it is necessary to impart alonger stroke to the back harness-frame in order that the shed maybeproperly opened, Ihave made the two toothed segments of the pinion-disksf of different radii, the toothed segment f having the greater radius,so that the back harnessframe will be raised a little higher anddepressed a little lower than the front frame in order to effect theproper shed formation. Thus diilerential gearing is interposed betweenthe common actuating means and the harnesses to impart to the latterstrokes of different length. The side guides Gprevent any lateralmovement of the frames and guide them in true and accurate paths ofmovement when they are reciprocated.

It will be seen that I have dispensed entirely with all strapping,bands, or other flexible connections for effecting the sheddingoperation, and I obtain a positive directacting movement, which is notsubject to variation or inaccurate operation. Furthermore, theconnection between the harness-frames is wholly overhead, and the lowerpart of the loom is left open and unobstructed, the means for actuatin gor rocking the shaft F being located outside of the loom-frame.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction herein shownand described, as it may be modified or changed in detail withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1.. In a loom, two oppositely-movable harness-frames, acontrolling-shaft, a rack-andpinion connection between it and eachframe, to reciprocate the frames oppositely, said connection includingmeans to impart a longer stroke to one of the frames, and means to rockthe shaft to effect such movement of the frames.

2. In a loom, two oppositely-movable harness-frames, each havingrigidly-attached, upturned racks facing each other, a controlling-shaftabove the frames and between the racks and provided with pinions tocooperate therewith, the back and front pinions having different radiito impart different strokes to the frames, and means to rock the shaftand through the connections reciprocate the frames positively andoppositely.

3. In a loon1,two vertically-movable harnessframes, fixed side guides inwhich they slide, upturned, rigidly connected racks on the frames facingeach other, a transverse shaft located between the racks andhavingpinions in mesh therewith, the front frame-pinions being ofsmaller radius, and means located at the side of the loom to rock theshaft and thereby positively reciprocate the frames.

4. In a loom,two verticallyqn ovable harnessframes each having twoupwardly-extended, rigidly-attached racks, the pairs of racks facingeach other, a shaft extended transversely between the racks, two pinionsfast on the shaft, to cooperate with said racks, each pinion having thesegment in engagement with the rear rack of greater radius than thefront segment to impart a greater stroke to the rear-harness-frame, andmeans to rock the shaft, to reciprocate the harness-frames positively inopposite directions.

5. In a loom,two vertically-movable harnessframes, common actuatingmeans therefor to reciprocate them oppositely, and positive, di-

rect-acting differential gearing between said means and the frames, toimpart a greater stroke to the back harness-frame.

6. In aloom,two vertically-movable harnessframes, common actuating meanstherefor to reciprocate them oppositely, said means including arock-shaft above the frames, and an actuating-cam therefor locatedoutside the loom-frame, and positive and direct-acting differentialgearing between the rock-shaft and frames, to impart a greater stroke tothe back harness-frame.

7. In aloom,two vertically-movable harnessframes, common actuating meanstherefor to reciprocate them oppositely, said means including a rockshaft above the frames, vertically-adj ustable bearings for therock-shaft, and positive and direct-acting differential gearingconnecting the rock-shaft and the frames, to impart a greater stroke tothe back harness-frame. v

8. In a loom, a cam-shaft, oppositely-movable harness-frames, sideguides therefor, an operating rock-shaft having a gear thereon,

gearing between the rock-shaft and thehar ness-frames, to effect thereciprocation of the latter, a longitudinally-movable bar having a rackin mesh with the gear on the rock-shaft and slotted atits lower end toloosely embrace the cam-shaft, a cam on the latter to cooperate with andreciprocate the bar, and a radius arm fulcrumed on the loom-frame andpivot- 35 ally connected with the lower end of the bar, to control thesame independently of the camshaft,

9. In a loom, a cam-shaft extended through the loom side and having aharness-actuating 4o ceive the cam-shaft, follower-rolls'on said bar 50'in engagement with the actuating-cam, and a radius arm pivotallyconnected with the lower end of the follower-bar to prevent it fromengaging the cam-shaft.

In testimony whereofI have signed my 55 name to this specification inthe presence of .two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. ROPER.

itnesses FRANK J. DUTOHER, CLARE H. DRAPER.

